Portable house



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. LEE.

PORTABLE HOUSE.

N. PEYERS. Phum-Lm her. Washin nnnnn c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. LEE.

E PORTABLE HOUSE. No. 304,53 Patent'd Sept. 2, 1884.

.ZIIIIILZIIIIIII N. PETERS. Fholwumn m hw. Washin ton. ac,

UNi're STATES EARL LEE, or CORONA, NEW YORK.

PORTABLE HOUSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. L531, dated September 2,1884.

Application filed December 29, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL LEE, of Corona, in the county of Queens and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improve ments in Portable Houses; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,'and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, on two sheets, which form a part of this specification.

My said invention consists in the improved constructions of parts of a portable house, all of which, as well as the objects and purposes thereof, are hereinafter particularly set forth and described.

In the accompanying drawings,on Sheet No.

. 1, Figure 1 is an isometrical perspective of parts of a house with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a view of the. under surface of a portion of the roof; Fig. 4, a sectional view of the ridge; Fig. 5, a plan View showing the construction and mode of applying the braces; and Fig. 6, a plan view of a rafter, the three last-named figures being on an enlarged scale. On Sheet No. 2, Fig. 7 is a front elevation of one of the windows. Figs. 8 and 9 are sections of the same, taken on the lines 00 w and y y, respectively; and Figs. 10 to 13, inclusive, are details, hereinafter explained all on an enlarged scale.

Similar letters of referenceindicate the same parts in all the several figures.

A and A are the side and end sills; B and B, the side and end plates; 0 O, the studs. D is the ridge-beam. I

One of my improvements relates to the construction of the ridge and the mode of attaching the rafters thereto. E E are posts, the

.lower ends of which are fitted into mortises'in the end plates, B, at the center thereof, and their upper ends fitted into inortises on the under side of the ridge-piece D; and F F are braces, the lower ends of which are secured to the uprights EE and their upper ends to the ridge D. Thesebraces are pivoted or hinged at their upper ends to the ridge D, so that they will lie parallel with said ridge for convenience and compactness in transportation, and will swing downward, so that when their lower ends are secured to the posts E the latter will stand at right angles to the ridge. Metal pins a a are driven into the upper side'of the ridge piece D, and upon the upper ends of the rafters G are provided metalstraps I), having perforations to receive the pins a, and the rafters G are attached to the ridge by passing said straps over the pins a a, the body of the rafter forming a brace between the plate B and the ridge-piece D. By these means the roof is firmly braced both longitudinally and laterally. A metal. rod, 0, is passed through each plate B and the ridge-piece D, and provided with a screw-thread and a nut, 0, at its upper end, by means of which the parts are tightened up after being placed in position. (See Fig. 12.) If desired, thestraps on the upper endsof oppositely-located rafters may be attached to the same pin, a, one above the other, instead of using aseparate pin for each. Thus constructed, the roof-timbers can be readily taken apart and closely packed for transportation.

Another of my said improvements relates to the construction of the roof, the same being made in sections or panels H, constructed as follows: (1 d are thin boards joined together by tongues and grooves, and e 0 another series of thin boards, also j oined by tongues and grooves, and f is a sheet of waterproof paper or felt interposed between the two series of boards d and c, which latter are placed at right angles to each other, as shown in Fig.3, and mailed together with clinch-nails. The roof thus con structed is made in sections or panels extending from the ridge to the eaves lengthwise, and of such width as to fit between the centers of adjoining rafters G, upon which latter they are laid, as shown in Fig. 6. Near the lower edges, on their under surface, are provided clips in such position that they will enter loops or staples h, secured to the plate B when the panel is placed in position, thus fastening down the lower end of the panel, its upper end being secured in position by the cap-piece I, after all the panels have been laid on. As amodification of the construction of the panels they may be formed of the two series of boards joined at right angles, as above described, and covered with tin or thin sheets of galvanized iron t", as shown in Fig. 13. The panels above described may be used for the siding by making them of proper length to extend from the plates B B to the sills A A, and of proper width to extend between adjoining studs 0,

grooves being provided on the under side of the plates to receive the upper ends of the panels, and on the sides of the studs to receive the sides of the same.

Another of my improvements relates to the construction of the rafters G, and is as follows: On the upper side of the rafter I secure a cappiece, j, having two longitudinal grooves, j j, running along its entire length, and each about midway between its center and one of the upper edges. These are for the purpose of catching and carrying to the eaves any water that may pass between adjoining panels H, which latter are simply laid upon the-rafters, as above described. The necessity for any covering of of said joints is thereby obviated, and the removal of the roof is greatly facilitated whenever the house is to be taken down. This construction is most plainly shown in Fig. 11, which represents a transverse section of a rafter and adjoining panels.

Another of my improvements relates to the bracing of the sills, plates, and corner-posts, and is for the purpose of dispensing with the use of bracing-rods. To the upper and lower ends of braces J, I attach hooks 7c and kin such position that their free ends will pass through loops or staples l and Z, secured to the plates B B and sills A or A, respectively, thereby forming a strut and brace, which effectually prevents the plates B B from moving in any direction. This'is most plainly shown in Fig. 5, which represents a portion of a sill and the lower end of a strut or brace J. The upper end of the latter is similarly provided with a hook, it, and a staple, Z, is secured to the plate to receive the same. As a modification, a plate, m, may be substituted for the hook, said plate having a perforation, m, to receive a bolt passed through it and the sill, as shown at the right of said Fig. 5.

. Another of my improvements relates to the construction of the window-frames for the purpose of adapting the same to be taken apart, so that they can be compactly arranged for transportation. In order to accomplish this, the sill n, head-piece 0, and side pieces, p p, are made separate and detachable, as shown in Fig. 10. The side pieces, 11, are made hollow to admit the usual sash-weights, q, and are formed with recesses 12 p, the edges of which overlap the studs 0, between which the window is fitted and secured. Projecting pieces or tongues r and r are formed on each side of the sill n and headpiece 0, which are passed through mortises s s, respectively, formed in the studs 0, and secured by pins or bolts a and 0. The sill being thus secured to the studs, the headpiece is placed in position over the side pieces and pinned, after which the parts are tightened up by means of wedges it, which are passed through the mortises s s. The upper and lower ends of the side pieces may be made to fit into suitable depressions or stub-mortises, n, on the sill n and head-piece 0, to prevontthem moving'laterally. The door-frames maybe constructed in similar manner, if de sired.

L represents an improved form of ornamental panel, which I place under the windows or in similar positions, but which I do not claim as part of my present invention. Said panels are composed of shingles u, nailed to a wooden back of thin boards, a, with clinchnails, which boards are fitted at their edges into grooves in the studs and plates. A sheet of felt, f, is interposed.

I may state that the whole or any portions of the siding and roof may be composed of panels constructed, as just described, in imitation of the Swiss cottage architecture. After all the roof-panels have been placed in position and the cap-piece I put on, the latter is bolted down to the ridge-piece D by means of a bolt, D, having a nut and screw-threads at its lower end.

As a modification of the devices for attaching the strut-braces J to the sill, the plate m (shown in Fig. 5) may be attached to the under side of the brace, and its perforation be located in proper position to receive a pin, m, fixed in the sill, as shown in Fig. 2.

\Vhat I claim as my inventionis- 1. In combination with the ridge-piece D, uprights E E, plates B and B, and rafters G, the braces F F, pivoted to the ridge-piece D, as described, for the purpose set forth.

2. The roof-panels H, composed of the tongued and grooved boards (I and e, crossing each other, and a sheet of felt, f, or similar material interposed between, and provided with the clips 9, adapted to engage with the staples 7L, fixed in the side plate, B, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a roof, the combination of the rafters G, provided with cap-pieces 7', having longitudinal grooves j j, extending their entire length, and the roof-sections H, as shown and described.

4. In combinationwith the sills A A, plates B B, and posts N, the strut-braces J, provided with the books k k, adapted to engage with loops or staples fined in said plates and sills, respectively, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The detachable window-frame herein described, composed of the sill a, headpiece 0, and side pieces, pp, each constructed substantially as described, and adapted to be pinned and wedged to the studs 0 O, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In combination with the ridge-cap I, plate B, and rafters G, each having a cap-piece, j, with longitudinal grooves j j, as described, the roof-panels H, having clips adapted to engage with staples 71. on said plate B, as and for the purpose set forth.

EARL LEE.

. Witnesses:

M. H. Torrnvc, JOHN S. THORNTON. 

